1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to paint removers and strippers. More specifically, it relates to a composition and method for removing paint from a substrate. Even more specifically, it relates to a method and composition for removing paint or the like from various substrates, wherein the composition consists of a mixture of isopropyl alcohol and ethylene glycol monobutyl ether.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Miniature models of various real world articles are popular pastimes both for the satisfaction that comes from assembling them and from the display and, in some cases, the motorized animation of the finished products. Hobbyists can become very detail oriented in the decoration of the objects, poring through old publications to deduce, for instance, the exact paint scheme of various historical vehicles. One of the most popular versions of this pastime with people of all ages is the assembly and display of model railroads. There are various standard scales used by the industry but in recent times the most common material used in the manufacture of railroad models and other types of such objects is a synthetic plastic material. This material produces durable plastic articles which are inexpensive to manufacture and shape. One of the most challenging aspects of the assembly process is the painting of the object. Because of the small size of the pieces involved and the fineness of the brushes used, mistakes can be made which, if not immediately caught, can be difficult to correct. Paint removers that are commonly available on the open market are not suitable in this usage because they would mar or fatally weaken the plastic while removing the decorative paint or enamel. Paint removers have been the subject of various patents.
In U.S. Pat. No. 1,499,101 issued on Jun. 24, 1924 to Carleton Ellis there is disclosed a paint and varnish remover having a high flashpoint and low degree of inflammability. The remover is basically made up of a mixture of trichlorethylene, ethyl acetate, monochlorbenzol, and hard paraffin wax.
Another patent of interest is U.S. Pat. No. 2,705,207 issued on Mar. 29, 1955 to Ralph E. Stevens. In this patent, a two stage method for removing paint and varnish is disclosed. In the first stage, a coating that includes a halogen containing alkane is applied. After this has dried, a second coating is applied that contains a normally liquid hydrocarbon, an alcohol, an ester of an aliphatic carboxylic acid, and an alcohol whose ester contains 3 to 5 carbon atoms, and then stripping the resulting film from the substrate.
Next is U.S. Pat. No. 3,410,805 issued on Nov. 12, 1968 to Henry A. Goldsmith et al. This patent described a paint stripping composition wherein an N-substituted sulfonamide and a glycol additive are used to improve the paint removing efficiency of an alkali metal hydroxide solution.
The U.K. Patent specification published on Mar. 3, 1976 for Robert H. Shoemaker et al. relates to an alkali metal hydroxide paint stripping compositions and method.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,973,420 issued on Nov. 27, 1990 to Micheal R. Van De Mark there is disclosed a stripper composition for the removal of protective coatings. The composition includes trioxane and an aromatic hydrocarbon and an aliphatic alcohol can be added to improve the solubility parameters.
Lastly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,049,314 issued on Sept. 17, 1991 to Sidney M. Short discloses a paint stripping composition that consists of a five membered ring lactone and an oxygenated aliphatic solvent.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.